It took a while, but UCLA finally shook off the Huskies and came out with an 85-76 victory.

After a game effort, Washington collapsed at the end and no place more so than at the free throw line where it was just 4 of 10 on the night.

UCLA’s seniors combined for 50 points. Josh Shipp had 20 points, Darren Collison had 17 and Alfred Aboya had 13 points and 11 rebounds.

What did you think of the win? Are the Bruins back after the disappointment in the desert?

I had a chance to sit down with freshman guard Jrue Holiday the other day and ask –among other things you’ll read about in my column tommorrow — about the big night for the Holiday family tonight. Jrue and older brother Justin, a sophomore at Washington, are playing for first place in the Pacific 10 Conference tonight.

His mother Toya and younger sister Lauren open the Southern Section girls basketball playoffs tonight as Campbell Hall (21-1) hosts Sacred Heart of Jesus. Lauren is a freshman, but she leads the team in scoring at 17.0 points a game and rebounding (8.9)

“I’d rather go watch their game,” Jrue said of his mother and sisters’ playoff opener. “It’s too bad they’re on the same night. But I think their game will be over in time to come watch the end of our game.”

Hey all,

Ramona Shelburne here. I thought I’d pass a long a little women’s hoops news. New coach Nikki Caldwell just landed a big transfer, announcing that former Long Beach Poly star guard Jasmine Dixon is transferring from Rutgers to UCLA and will be eligible after the fall of 2009.

Dixon was a McDonald’s All-American last year at Long Beach Poly and led the Jackrabbits to three straight California Division I State titles. She averaged 14.1 points, 10.4 rebounds, 4.2 steals and 3.2 assists a game in her senior season. She was state player of the year twice.

When she opted to head East for college, it was seen as yet another example of the two local schools, UCLA and USC, failing to keep the top Southland talent in LA. Bringing her back is obviously a pretty big victory for a rookie coach.

Due to the sensitive nature of this situation, after all, the kid is leaving Brian’s beloved alma mater, I thought I’d post this entry instead of inflicting any unnecessary emotional pain or discomfort 😉

It appears the Bruins will wrap up the win, with a commanding 28-3.

Three thoughts….

1) Craft looked gooooooood. Granted, the Cougars looked baaaaaaad. But progress is progress.

2) Though Logan Paulsen was a key to this offense, Ryan Moya appears to have become a go-to-guy for Craft, at least in the red zone.

3) The UCLA defense when attempting stunts, looks effective. Again, Washington State is not the New England Patriots of 2007, but the Bruins turned in a sound defensive performance.

Any thoughts from you guys?

—JG